evaluating vid cards, looking for advice

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

I'm in the market for a new video card and was wondering about a few
things.
i'm an Nvidia whore, so it's going to be a GF card, firstly, but i'm
currently looking at the 5900XT since it's at a reasonable price point
(for an expensive card), but i'm wondering if there's a huge
difference between this and the 5950 ultra?
and what the heck is the difference between it and the 5900SE?

i understand that Nvidia will be coming out with some new cards soon,
and i wasn't sure if i should wait and see what they release (although
i understand the argument that you can wait forever for every new
thing and never end up buying anything).
are they coming out with something great and inexpensive, or is the
same old thing, faster/better but more expensive......?

128 Vs. 256. any real difference in mem sizes? i've got a P4 2.8 w 1
gig pc2700 mem and winxp pro, so the machine should be fast enough for
non GPU processing.

and lastly are there any particular brands that are more reliable than
others? i don't need any goodies with the card, so bundles are out,
and i usually do my buying from newegg.

any help would be great, thanks ahead!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Rimsey Mimblerod wrote:
> I'm in the market for a new video card and was wondering about a few
> things.
> i'm an Nvidia whore, so it's going to be a GF card, firstly, but i'm
> currently looking at the 5900XT since it's at a reasonable price point
> (for an expensive card), but i'm wondering if there's a huge
> difference between this and the 5950 ultra?
> and what the heck is the difference between it and the 5900SE?

The 5950 Ultra is about 15% faster than the 5900SE and XT. Not always true
but, the 5900XT is 390MHz (GPU Speed)/700MHz (Memory Speed) and the SE is
400/700. The XT doesn't always include a fan on the card; there are always
exceptions though. Gainward has a 5900XT that's 450/750(or 780). It's just
overclocked but it's been tested.

Look at the benchmarks here:
http://tinyurl.com/2prlq


>
> i understand that Nvidia will be coming out with some new cards soon,
> and i wasn't sure if i should wait and see what they release (although
> i understand the argument that you can wait forever for every new
> thing and never end up buying anything).
> are they coming out with something great and inexpensive, or is the
> same old thing, faster/better but more expensive......?

Since the 6800 cards are just about to be released, I would wait and see how
they affect older card prices. The newer 6800 Non-Ultra should be selling
for around $250US soon after it's released. It will retail for $299.


>
> 128 Vs. 256. any real difference in mem sizes? i've got a P4 2.8 w 1
> gig pc2700 mem and winxp pro, so the machine should be fast enough for
> non GPU processing.

128 vs. 256: Not a big difference unless you really crank things up in a
game. I wouldn't get 256MB unless it was all the card came with, e.g., 5950
Ultra, 6800 Ultra.



Too_Much_Coffee ®

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>
> and lastly are there any particular brands that are more reliable than
> others? i don't need any goodies with the card, so bundles are out,
> and i usually do my buying from newegg.
>
> any help would be great, thanks ahead!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Rimsey Mimblerod" <rimseymimblerod-nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:kros80tqfv391d7jimdj6onnnsskfmr6h4@4ax.com...

> I'm in the market for a new video card and was wondering about a few
> things.

Nothing in your request mentions what applications (games) you are, or will
be playing, so any recommendation which doesn't take that into account isn't
a very good one.

You can answer your own question by setting a budget, and then collecting
the options at that price point, then match the games you want to play with
the remaining choices. The choice should play those games better than the
competition.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

In article <kros80tqfv391d7jimdj6onnnsskfmr6h4@4ax.com>,
rimseymimblerod-nospam@hotmail.com says...
> I'm in the market for a new video card and was wondering about a few
> things.
> i'm an Nvidia whore, so it's going to be a GF card, firstly, but i'm
> currently looking at the 5900XT since it's at a reasonable price point
> (for an expensive card), but i'm wondering if there's a huge
> difference between this and the 5950 ultra?
> and what the heck is the difference between it and the 5900SE?
>
Well, you picked the right card, an FX5900XT. Best price/performance
currently available. The SE and XT are basically the same, although
usually the SE GPU is clocked at 400MHz verses 390MHz for XT.

Newegg currently has a Chaintech card for $175, with free shipping.
Great deal! Most FX5900XT cards are based on the Nvidia reference
design. The main difference is in the heatsink/fan combo. Some make more
noise than others.

Any of the major brands are a safe buy. If I hadn't already picked up a
Leadtek FX5900XT I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Chaintech ($15 cheaper).

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Bad time to buy any PC gear considering we are in between both new
generations of cards as well as new generations of game engines.

Wait until Doom 3 comes out and we see how it runs, and then make an
informed decision.

You can always go back and play games you missed like Far Cry ...

buy nothing now!


"Rimsey Mimblerod" <rimseymimblerod-nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:kros80tqfv391d7jimdj6onnnsskfmr6h4@4ax.com...
> I'm in the market for a new video card and was wondering about a few
> things.
> i'm an Nvidia whore, so it's going to be a GF card, firstly, but i'm
> currently looking at the 5900XT since it's at a reasonable price point
> (for an expensive card), but i'm wondering if there's a huge
> difference between this and the 5950 ultra?
> and what the heck is the difference between it and the 5900SE?
>
> i understand that Nvidia will be coming out with some new cards soon,
> and i wasn't sure if i should wait and see what they release (although
> i understand the argument that you can wait forever for every new
> thing and never end up buying anything).
> are they coming out with something great and inexpensive, or is the
> same old thing, faster/better but more expensive......?
>
> 128 Vs. 256. any real difference in mem sizes? i've got a P4 2.8 w 1
> gig pc2700 mem and winxp pro, so the machine should be fast enough for
> non GPU processing.
>
> and lastly are there any particular brands that are more reliable than
> others? i don't need any goodies with the card, so bundles are out,
> and i usually do my buying from newegg.
>
> any help would be great, thanks ahead!

 

[NaDa]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

wgd <wgd@nomail.com> wrote:
> rimseymimblerod-nospam@hotmail.com says...
> > I'm in the market for a new video card and was wondering about a few
> > things.
> > i'm an Nvidia whore, so it's going to be a GF card, firstly, but i'm
> > currently looking at the 5900XT since it's at a reasonable price point
> > (for an expensive card), but i'm wondering if there's a huge
> > difference between this and the 5950 ultra?
> > and what the heck is the difference between it and the 5900SE?
> >
> Well, you picked the right card, an FX5900XT. Best price/performance
> currently available. The SE and XT are basically the same, although
> usually the SE GPU is clocked at 400MHz verses 390MHz for XT.
>
> Newegg currently has a Chaintech card for $175, with free shipping.
> Great deal! Most FX5900XT cards are based on the Nvidia reference
> design. The main difference is in the heatsink/fan combo. Some make more
> noise than others.
>
> Any of the major brands are a safe buy. If I hadn't already picked up a
> Leadtek FX5900XT I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Chaintech ($15 cheaper).

Do Chaintech still have those awesome golden fans that people can take
to a jewlery boutique?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"Too_Much_Coffee ®" <looking@the.grrrls> skrev i en meddelelse
news:06GdnZII_ddEHxPdRVn2sA@giganews.com...

> The XT doesn't always include a fan on the card.

pls. show me a single one *lol*